Arrival of a Bird
by blueeyedjaclover
Summary: Sometimes you make a mistake. Sometimes these mistakes can lead you to things that end up not being such big mistakes. But how do you handle them? Jo and Mac make a mistake that has serious consequences. Can they handle them? Jac story, so if it isn't for you don't read!
1. Chapter 1

_Hey hey!_

 _Thank you first of all for reading this. This story was inspired by the Major Crimes fic 'The Other Woman' ( s/10677020/1/The-Other-Woman), a wonderful story by the amazing writer Miss Shannon ( u/1235673/Miss-Shannon). I really hope you guys enjoy this, and please let me know what you think!_

/

She groaned as her alarm woke her at 6.30. She sighed and turned over to turn it off, her stomach flipping unpleasantly. She brushed her hand over it and frowned. She had thought the stomach bug that had been pestering her for the past few weeks was gone by now. Just as she was about to get up and take a shower, her phone beeped, indicating she had gotten a new message. A crime scene. Great. She had hoped for a slow day at the office to catch up on some paperwork. She grabbed her phone and responded that she would be there within half an hour. She quickly grabbed a pair of jeans and a shirt and took a quick shower. Even though she was in a hurry, she took more time than usual to put on her make-up, trying to cover up her pale face and the dark circles under her eyes as good as possible. After having given herself a quick look of approval, she went into Ellie's room to wake her up and tell her goodbye. She put on her jacket and grabbed her bag and keys, making her way out of the apartment.

She arrived at the crimescene 35 minutes after she had send the text, only having stopped to buy herself a cup of tea at her favorite coffee shop. Ginger lemon. Jo hoped it would still the queasy feeling in her stomach that hadn't lessened since she got up. She showed her badge to the police officer before ducking under the police tape and making her way over to Flack and Danny, who were comparing notes they had gotten from any witnesses. Flack noticed her first, lifting his hand to greet her.

'Hey.' She responded.

'What do we have?' She asked looking around the crime scene. They were at an old, abandoned parking lot, with only one car occupying the scene.

'Victim is in there.' Flack said, pointing at the car.

'It's not completely clear what the cause of death is, though, but Sid and Hawkes are working on it.' Jo nodded and she saw Sid and Sheldon walking around the car, taking pictures. At that time Mac came walking towards them, stopping to stand next to Jo, which caused her to tense up involuntarily.

'Victim's in there?' He asked. Flack nodded. Mac followed his gaze and motioned for Jo to come with him.

'It's not pretty.' Danny warned them.

'Body's been in there for a while.' Mac looked like he didn't care but Jo couldn't help but scrunch her nose. Her stomach still hadn't settled and she was not looking to make it worse. As they were standing in front of the car listening to Sid's description of what they had found yet, Jo tried her best not to look at the victim inside. Danny had been right, it wasn't pretty. Sid suspected the body had been in there for about two to three months. He wasn't exactly sure because the heat inside the car had sped up some of the decomposition. Hawkes came over to them, two assistant ME's following him.

'Hey guys.' He greeted them before turning to business.

'We can examine him better if we take him down to the morgue. Shall we take him out?'

'Sure. Watch out though, the moment I open this door it's going to smell like hell.' As he and Hawkes walked over to the car's door, Jo tried to prepare for what was about to happen. But as the door opened and the smell hit them, she quickly pressed her hand to her mouth and nose, stepping back while trying not to gag as she felt acid making its way up her throat. Mac looked at her a little surprised, as she has never been so affected by a crime scene, but she doesn't notice because she is taking deep breaths to keep the nausea down. She must look pretty terrible, because Sid and Sheldon are also looking at her worriedly.

'Are you okay Jo?' Sid asks. She nods slowly as she drops her hand.

'Yeah, I'm fine.' She smiles, hoping to make it look a little reassuring.

'I just had no idea it would be so bad.' Sid gives her a look as if he doesn't believe her, but he drops the subject and she is glad the others do too. She watches as the ME's lift the body on a platform and drive it into the van. Glad the body (and especially the smell that came from it) is away from her, she starts processing the crime scene, collecting as much evidence as possible.

/

A few hours later they are finished, and the team makes their way back to the lab. Jo is glad that the dizzy feeling she had when she got up is gone, but is annoyed the nausea isn't. She opens her car window, hoping that the calm flow of New York traffic and some fresh air will do her good. But when she gets on the elevator to take her to the 34th floor, nothing has changed. It's hot and crowded in there, and that alone would have made Jo feel uncomfortable, no matter what. But after a few moments a man steps into the elevator, carrying a fresh cup of coffee. The smell of coffee usually couldn't seem to do anything bad to her, but today her stomach started sending warning signs as soon as it hit her. She tried to discretely rub her stomach to calm it down while silently praying it would preserve the rest of the elevator ride. As soon as they reach the 34th floor and the doors open, Jo practically jolts out and makes a beeline towards the restrooms. Just in time she pulls up her hair as she empties the little contents of her stomach. After a few moments she pulls away, wiping her mouth with a piece of toilet paper. She washes her hands and mouth and dabs her face with a cold, wet piece of paper. After taking a few deep breaths, she walks into the lab. She's not going to give into this bug now. She has work to do.

/

A few hours later Jo is sitting in behind her desk, her vision swimming. She and Lindsay are discussing what they know about the case so far but she has a hard time concentrating. Lindsay says something about a possible previous victim but she barely hears it.

'Who did you say she was, the other victim?' She asks, interrupting Lindsay in the middle of a sentence.

'Uhm…' Lindsay looks down at the file. 'Kathe Jackson, why?'

'Oh, no reason, I just didn't quite catch what you were saying.' Jo responds, quickly writing down the name. She had a feeling she wouldn't remember it later if she didn't.

'Am I really that boring?' Lindsay chuckles.

'What?' Jo looks back up at her, looking a little confused. 'No, sorry, that's not what I meant.' She says, smiling reassuringly at her. Lindsay frowns as she looks at her friend. She looks a little out of sorts. Not only is she quite pale, she sounds tired and seems to be having a hard time focusing.

'Is everything okay Jo?' she asks, worry lacing through her voice.

'Yeah, I'm fine, don't worry.' Jo answers automatically.

'You sure? You look a little pale.' Lindsay continues, trying to catch a trace off of Jo's face.

'Yeah, yeah, it's just…' She shakes her head a little, but when she looks up at Lindsay's questioning face, she decides to drop the charade.

'I feel sick.' she says, leaning back in her chair and placing her hand over her eyes for a moment. Lindsay looks at her sympathetically. She knows Jo has been walking around with this bug for a while now and she feels bad for her friend that it still hasn't passed.

'Why don't you just go home? We can handle things here.' But Jo shakes her head and straightens in her chair.

'No, I can handle it. I'm not going to let a stomach bug take me down.' she smirks, but it doesn't reach her eyes.

'Are you sure? You've been feeling bad for a while now, maybe you should get yourself checked out by a doctor.' Although Lindsay would never voice her concerns to anybody else, she was worried about Jo. She hadn't been herself for over two months. Then the continual nausea had started. She just hoped it wasn't anything serious.

'Yes, I'm sure.' When Lindsay still stared at her she sighed.

'If it hasn't passed by the end of the week I will go and see a doctor, I promise.' Lindsay nodded, feeling a little more relieved.

'You better.'

She smiled at Jo while standing up from her desk and leaving their shared office. Jo shook her head smiling as she watched her friend leave. Even though she didn't like it when people were worried about her or even knew when something was wrong, she was touched by Lindsay's care and concern for her well-being. And she was right. Jo herself had also thought about seeing a doctor. She couldn't remember ever being sick this long. She grabbed her agenda and started looking for a possible date she could arrange a meeting with her regular doctor. This weekend would be possible. She started going back to find the time she had started feeling unwell. As she went through the pages she suddenly noticed something was missing. She went through the past few weeks again, but still couldn't find one. She started counting. It seemed that she had already skipped two periods and somehow hadn't noticed. Her last period had been just before she slept with Mac. Her heart suddenly started racing. This couldn't be true. She couldn't be pregnant with Mac Taylor's baby.


	2. Chapter 2

_Her last period had been just before she slept with Mac. Her heart suddenly started racing. This couldn't be true. She couldn't be pregnant with Mac Taylor's baby._

/

She was glad the case was solved fast that day. Suicide. The poor man had shot himself through the head about two months ago at that abandoned parking lot, but no one had even noticed he was missing. Usually Jo would have taken a moment to show her sympathy in some way or at least be grateful for everything she had in her life that would always keep her going. But today, she had hastily finished her report and left the lab. She was now on her way to get something she had never thought about getting ever again. As she pulled into the parking lot, she had to take a deep breath to compose herself. One part of her felt ridiculous about her own nervousness, but she couldn't help but be. She left the car and felt almost ashamed as she walked into the small pharmacy. She looked around and quickly walked towards the isle with pregnancy tests. She stopped and stared at the overwhelming amount of choices that were in front of her. She sighed. It had been twenty long years since she had last held one in her hands, and she had absolutely no idea which one she needed. As if out of nowhere one of the store's employees showed up next to her.

'Hello madam, can I help you with anything?' She asked. Jo stared at her, not even trying to answer. The girl couldn't be much older than Tyler. She suddenly seemed to notice what Jo was looking at.

'Oh, congratulations!' She exclaimed excitedly. Jo tried to smile at her, but it looked more like a grimace.

'Well, if you want to know how long you are pregnant, this one would be a good choice. If you're looking for something that is very easy to use you could take this one. Oh and this one might be a bit more expensive than the others but it is the most reliable test we have.' The girl was pointing at all sorts of test and Jo was starting to feel agitated. So she grabbed the last test the girl described. She could use one that was reliable anyways.

'I'll take this one.' She quickly said, trying to sound nice. She followed the girl to the counter and payed for the pregnancy test. As she walked back to her car, the paper bag in her hand, she let out a breath she didn't know she was holding.

/

As she unlocked her apartment and found that it was dark, she felt relieved. There was a note on the table from her daughter, saying she was with a friend and would be back before dinner. The little 'love you' at the end made Jo smile. She set the bag on the table and sat down on the couch in front of it. She was terrified of actually taking the test, even though deep down she already knew the result. But actually seeing the result would make it definite. She sighed and got up, grabbing the bag from the table and making her way to the bathroom. She figured it was best to know for sure. She sat down on the edge of the bathtub while reading the instructions carefully. Smiley face means pregnant. She couldn't help but roll her eyes at the cliché of it all.

/

Ten minutes later she had the result. Even though it didn't surprise her, she couldn't help but feel completely heartbroken. She had thrown the bag, box and the test into garbage can with full force before dropping down on the couch. Her head was resting in her hands. She couldn't help but wail in self-pity. She had absolutely no idea what to do. Even though she had never expected to have more children, if the situation were different she might actually be happy with it. But know, from Mac...

She wasn't going to give it up, to her that wasn't even an option. But how she was going to handle it was still a mystery to her. Suddenly she heard the door open and she quickly wiped her eyes before turning towards her daughter.

'Hey honey, I thought you were at Lacey's?' She asked.

'It's great to see you too, mom?' Ellie said, rolling her eyes before turning to put up her jacket.

'We finished homework and I thought I could make it home before you so I could make dinner. But you're already here.' She turned back to her mother and walked towards her.

'I hadn't expected you to be so early considering you had a case.' She said.

'Well, fortunately it was an easy case, quickly closed. So we could all make it back to catch up on some lost sleep.' Jo smirked. Ellie sat down on the couch next to her mother and noticed something was off. Her mother's face was pale and her eyes looked red, as if she had been crying.

'Mom, are you okay?' She asked softly.

'Oh honey, don't worry about me.' Jo asked, her voice filled with emotion while she softly stroke her daughter's cheek.

'That's not really an answer mom.' Ellie answered, leaning into her mother's touch.

'When did you get so smart?' Jo smiled.

'Learned from the best.' Ellie grinned, before wrapping her arms around her mother. Jo did the same with Ellie. As they were leaning into each other, Ellie tried again.

'You know you can tell me anything, right? I won't be mad, I promise.' Jo smiled. That was exactly what she told Ellie whenever she was too afraid or ashamed. She sighed.

'Just promise me you never fall in love, sweetie.'

'This is about Mac?' Jo looked up, confused.

'How did you know?' She asked.

'Oh come on mom, it's pretty obvious. You guys have been friends for years, and though I know you would never admit it but when he split up with Christine you felt relieved and when they got back together you felt horrible.' A small pout formed on Jo's lips, and Ellie noticed.

'It's not an insult mom, gosh, you're still just human.' She laughed a little.

'Don't worry mom. Real love conquers everything. It will all work out.' She leaned her head to Jo's shoulder, and Jo rested her head on top of Ellie's in return.

'I hope so honey, I really do.'

/

A few hours later Jo was in bed. The rest of the evening had actually been quite nice. She and Ellie had made dinner together and watched a sappy movie afterwards, curling up on the couch together with a cup of hot chocolate. When the movie had ended they had both gone to their own rooms, preparing for bed. Jo had taken a long, warm bath. Not as hot as she would usually take it, but she knew that could do harm to the baby.

The baby.

Jo's hands slowly travelled towards her abdomen, sliding up her pajama shirt. She slowly rested one of her hands on her now exposed belly. Goosebumps made their way over her arms as she placed her other hand of her belly as well, slowly holding the so far not-existing bump. She knew she still had a while before she would start showing, but it would happen, sooner than later. That would mean she would have to tell people. She had thought about telling Ellie this evening, but had decided not to. Because she herself still wasn't used to the idea, but also because she wanted to tell Mac first. She had no idea how he would react and was definitely not looking forward to the conversation. But the child was his. There was no doubt about that. Jo let out a long sigh and turned to her side, pulling the sheets as close around her as possible. She had the intention to make an appointment with her doctor tomorrow, to make sure everything was okay. Despite all the troubles the baby brought, she was definitely worried about its well-being. She wasn't exactly twenty anymore and she had a stressful job. She wanted to make sure her baby was okay. Her baby. She couldn't help but smile when she called it that. It was her baby, and she was going to take care of it, whatever issues she had to face first.


	3. Chapter 3

_He had asked her if she wanted to go out for a drink after they closed the case, as they used to do before. She had asked him if Christine didn't expect him home. His face had fallen and he had told her they had had a big fallout and had decided to take it easy for a while. He had quickly smiled again and told her he could use the distraction. So they had gone out for drinks. Mac had quite a few, maybe even a few too many. After a while they decided to go home, and Mac had offered to share a cab and make sure she got home safe. She had had a few drinks as well, and while she wasn't drunk, her mind was a bit cloudy and she accepted Mac's offer without hesitation. They had been quiet on the way back, neither of them feeling the need to talk. As they arrived at Jo's building, Mac said he'd walk her up to her apartment. When they came there, Jo placed her key in the lock. She turned to say her goodbyes to Mac. As she looked at him she noticed something in his eyes she had never seen before. Lust. Suddenly he stepped closer to her, pulling her closer to him. He pressed his lips to hers, kissing her hard. She pulled back a little surprised, but when she saw nothing but determination in his eyes, she kissed him back passionately._

 _He pushed her backwards through the door, grabbing her thighs and waist. Pushing the door closed behind him, he made a trail of kisses down her neck. He looked at her questioningly, and she led him to her bedroom, their body's never parting. She silently thanked God that Ellie was out today, before pulling Mac towards the bed. They stood still in front of it, and as she felt Mac tug at her pants she kicked of her heels, her hands travelling to unbutton his shirt. He quickly shrugged it off as she stepped out of her jeans. They took off the rest of their clothes and were standing in front of each other in their underwear. Jo felt a little insecure but didn't get a change to voice her concerns as Mac pushed her onto the bed. He sat down on top of her, unclasping her bra while placing kisses all over her body. He made her feel wanted, and her body responded under his touch. Their love-making had been full of heat and passion. They had collapsed on top of each other and she had fallen asleep with Mac's arm around her waist._

/

When she woke up he was gone, not even a trace left to indicate their night together had really happened. She had felt disappointed, but at that moment she had understood. He had slept with a co-worker, as her supervising officer, and he officially was still with Christine. She had thought he would talk to her about it later. But he hadn't. At work he had avoided her as much as possible, even calling her detective once instead of Jo when she had tried to loosen him up and get him to talk to her. She hadn't tried again. A week later he was back with Christine, and they seemed happier than ever. Jo was heartbroken. She felt stupid and naive for thinking that their shared night had actually meant something. That he actually felt the same way about her as she felt about him. But she had been nothing more than an easy distraction from his personal problems. The night she saw as one of the best of her life to him not more than a way to give into his lust and frustration. She had told herself to forget what happened. To forget him. But that was easier said than done. Especially now.

/

Jo was slowly walking towards Mac's office. A week had passed since she had taken the test, and she knew she would have to tell Mac sooner or later. She was not looking forward to this conversation at all. Danny was in Mac's office as well, and they seemed to be discussing certain things about their current case. She took a deep breath and knocked on Mac's door, even though it was open. He looked up, frowning as he saw her.

'Jo, come in. Anything new on the case?' She shook her head.

'This is about something else.' She looked at Danny.

'Danny, do you mind giving us a minute?' She asked him.

'Sure.' He answered, before getting up and leaving the office. Jo closed the door behind him and sat down in the chair in front of Mac. He looked at her questioningly.

'What's on your mind?' He asked. His voice showed no emotion, nor did his face.

'I'm not quite sure how to say this...' She started.

'But you're gonna say it anyway.' He interrupted her. She nodded.

'I am.' She leaned forward in her chair.

'Mac... I'm pregnant.' Mac looked up, a mixture of shock and surprise on his face.

'Are you sure?' He asked her. Before she could answer, he added:

'Are you sure it's mine?' Although Jo thought it was a fair question, it felt like another stab in her heart. Who did he think she was?

'I am. I'm very sure, Mac.' Her voice was barely above a whisper and she looked at her hands in her lap, not wanting to look at his face.

'I'm not sure what you want me to do.' He said, sounding genuinely confused.

'I just... I don't know.' Jo said, trying not to let her emotions surface.

'I mean, it's just not fair to Christine.' She didn't think her heart couldn't break any more, but it did. For a moment Jo couldn't say anything. Mac regretted the words as soon as they had left his mouth, even though he meant them. He looked at Jo's face, and instead of seeing the anger he thought he would see, her face was covered in hurt and sadness. She quickly recovered and stood up, not looking directly at him.

'I just wanted you to know.' She said. Mac nodded.

'I'll make sure everything gets through to PR.' She nodded okay.

'Can we keep my... involving in this between us for now, though?' Even though her face said something completely different, she smiled slightly.

'Of course.' She said, before turning around and leaving the office.

/

Jo had finished the rest of the day as if it were any other. She thought she would feel the need to cry her heart out as soon as she came home, but as she walked into her apartment and slowly sank down on the couch, she just felt exhausted. She sat there for several moments, trying to gather enough energy to take of her coat, change into something comfortable and make dinner for her and Ellie. She had noticed her daughter was home as soon as she came in, as her jacket was on the coat rack, looking as if it had been thrown over there hastily. She let out a deep sigh and got up from the couch, hanging up her coat next to Ellie's. She had to talk to her daughter. She had decided for herself that she would tell her daughter about her pregnancy as soon as she had told Mac, and that she would tell Tyler soon after that. She didn't want to keep their kids in the dark about this, as it was going to affect them too. Still, she was worried about their reaction. She decided now was just a good time as ever. The sooner Ellie knew, the sooner she would have to stop worrying if Ellie would find out by herself.

She knocked on the door of Ellie's bedroom.

'Come in.' her daughter's soft voice called out. Jo opened the door and saw her daughter sitting on her bed, reading a book.

'Hey mom.' She said, looking up from her book.

'Hey honey. What are you doing?' Ellie huffed.

'Homework.' She said, holding up the book while rolling her eyes. Jo smiled. She didn't like algebra either.

'Oh, looks like fun.' she smiled.

'Yeah, great fun.' Ellie replied with sarcasm. Jo laughed and sat down on the bed next to her daughter.

'Ellie, do you have a minute, I have to talk to you about something.' she asked.

'Sure, everything that can get me away from this.' she said, putting down the book with much exaggeration. She looked up and saw the serious look on her mother's face.

'What did I do now?' she asked. Jo smiled sadly.

'I think I did something this time, Ellie.' she answered. Ellie looked confused and was worried about her mother.

'What is it mom?'

'Ellie, I'm…' she hesitated for a moment. She looked up into Ellie questioning face. Taking a deep breath, she tried again.

'Honey, I'm pregnant.' Ellie's face changed from questioning to shocked.

'What? Since when?' Ellie sounded confused, but not angry.

'I'm about ten weeks along.' Jo answered.

'How long have you known?'

'Only for a week.' Ellie nodded, feeling relieved her mother hadn't been keeping this a secret from her for a long time.

'Is Mac the father?' Ellie already knew the answer. It explained so much. How Mac and her mother had gone from friends to almost strangers, why she had found her mother crying on the couch the other day. When her mother's face fell and she slowly nodded, Ellie's heart broke for her.

'Does he know?'

'I told him this morning.'

'What did he say?' Looking at her mother, Ellie knew that was the wrong question. Jo answered nonetheless.

'He said he didn't really know what to do, honey. Which is understandable.' Ellie looked confused.

'Is that everything he said? Didn't you two discuss how you were going to handle this, what his part was going to be in this?' Jo shook her head.

'I don't think he wants to have a part in this, Ellie.' Jo's voice sounded tired. She looked tired, and she definitely felt tired.

'He said it wasn't fair to Christine.' Her voice was barely above a whisper and she was looking down at her hands in her lap. Ellie suddenly became angry. She had always believed Mac Taylor was a respectable man, a man of honor. She realized now she had been wrong. She huddled closer to her mother and wrapped her arms around her.

'I just want to know if you're going to have any troubles with this. I mean, I promise I will try and keep everything as much as possible the way it is now, but things are going to change and I don't want them to have a negative effect on you.' Jo said.

'I'm not mad that you're having a baby, if that's what you think.'

'You're not?' Jo asked carefully.

'No, mom, of course not! I'm excited to have a little brother or sister.' She smiled and she saw relieve spreading over Jo's face.

'But are you okay, momma?' Jo took a deep breath and nodded.

'I'm okay. I feel stupid, but…'

'You're not stupid, mom. You're in love. But that doesn't make any of this your fault.'

'I'm just not sure how I'm going to do this on my own.' Jo realized she was complaining about her life to her daughter, but she felt Ellie understood.

'You raised me on your own, when Tyler was still very young as well. Besides, you've got me, and I'm sure we could get Tyler to come over and help as well.' Ellie softly bumped her shoulder against Jo's.

'You're not on your own mom.' Jo smiled, feeling tears burning in her eyes, but not for the reason she thought they would be. She wrapped her arms around her daughter, pulling her close.

'I love you, Ellie Danville.'

'I love you too, momma Danville.' Ellie laughed. As Jo released her, Ellie rested her head against Jo's shoulder and felt herself relax in her mother's arms. She was imagining what it would be like to have a little brother or sister she could cuddle with and take care of. She lifted her head from Jo's shoulder and looked at her.

'Do you know whether it's going to be a boy or a girl yet?' she asked. Jo laughed.

'No Ellie, you can't tell this early. Besides, I haven't even had an ultrasound yet. I have one scheduled in two days.' she responded.

'Really? Can I come with you?' Ellie looked at her with a hopeful look in her eyes.

'Are you sure you want too?' Jo asked. Ellie nodded.

'Well, then, sure honey, why not?' Ellie smiled brightly before leaning back against her mother again.


	4. Chapter 4

Jo couldn't help but hiss softly as the cold gel touched her exposed abdomen. For some reason she was nervous, laying in her doctor's office, waiting to see her baby for the first time. As she wasn't exactly twenty anymore, she was a little worried about wether or not the baby would be alright. She took a deep breath, telling herself everything would be okay, and to relax and just enjoy the moment. Suddenly she felt someone softly gripping her hand. She looked to her side and saw her daughter looking at her worriedly. She smiled at her and squeezed her daughter's hand, not letting go of it. She looked back up at her doctor as she felt a little pressure being brought to her stomach.

'Okay, let's see where the little one is hiding.' The doctor moved over her belly and Jo followed the movements on the screen feeling almost frightened. Suddenly, a beautiful, to Jo familiar sound filled the room, and Jo's eyes filled up with tears.

'There we are.' The doctor said, smiling while indicating to the screen with her hand.

'Is that the baby?' Ellie asked a little doubtful, while trying to make something out of the blob on the screen. The doctor nodded.

'I'd say you're about ten weeks along?' She asked Jo, who nodded in agreement. The doctor chuckled as she saw Ellie's still confused look. She pointed her finger at the screen.

'You see this right here?' Ellie nodded.

'That's the baby's head. These will be the baby's arms and legs.' Ellie nodded, and her confused look was being replaced with a big grin. Jo smiled at her daughter's excitement.

'And do you hear that honey?' She asked, indicating to the fast beating sounds that filled the room.

'What is that?' Ellie asked.

'The baby's heartbeat.' Jo smiled while turning to her daughter.

'Oh my god, mom, that's amazing!' Her daughter happily exclaimed.

'I know.' She responded. She then turned to her doctor, her voice suddenly sounding small.

'Is the baby alright?' Her doctor smiled and nodded reassuringly.

'As far as I can see, everything is going really well. I am going to prescribe you prenatal vitamins though, and I urge you to take things easy, as you are over forty.' Jo nodded understandingly.

'Rest if you feel like you need it, take some time of you're feet every day, and watch your blood pressure. And...' She continued with pressure, 'don't just tell me you'll do it, actually do it.' It seemed she knew Jo better than Jo knew herself. Jo nodded.

'I will, I promise.' She thought back at the sound of the heartbeat and smiled. 'I definitely will.'

'Don't worry.' Ellie cut in.

'I'll make sure she will.' The doctor smiled and wiped the gel of Jo's abdomen. They shook hands as they made their way out of the office.

'Take care of yourself Jo, and let me know if you need anything.' Jo smiled.

'I will, thank you doctor.'

/

An hour later, Jo was sitting in her office after having dropped Ellie off at home. As Lindsay was working in the lab, Jo had found herself a moment of privacy in which she could call her son. She was more nervous than when she told her daughter. She was afraid he would be less understanding. Tyler picked up after the third ring.

'Hey mom. What's up?'

'Hey honey. Do you have a minute?'

'Yeah sure, but I have class in a few minutes so I can't talk long.'

'That's okay, we'll talk later, I've just got something to tell you.' Her son hummed and waited for his mother to continue. Jo closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

'Honey, I'm pregnant.' Tyler didn't respond right a way.

'From who?' He asked after a few moments. Jo knew he would ask her that. Her son would want to know who knocked up his mother. It would have been funny if it wasn't so terrible.

'It's Mac's.' She answered honestly.

'Mac? You two are dating? Why didn't you tell me?' Jo shook her head when she heard her son's confusion.

'No honey, no. There's nothing going on between me and Mac. It was just a one time thing, and...' She swallowed and felt tears burning behind her eyes.

'A mistake. It was a mistake, Tyler, and Mac has absolutely no involvement in this.'

'Do you mean you're going to do this on your own?' Jo sighed and furiously wiped a stubborn tear from her face.

'This is my choice, honey. But I understand this is difficult for you to process. Plus I'm not completely alone, Ellie has promised to help out should it be necessary, but...'

'I will too, mom.' Tyler cut her off.

'Just let me know. And if you're happy, so am I. Really.' Jo smiled and let out a breath she didn't know she had been holding.

'Thank you Tyler.'

'I have to go mom. Take care, okay? I'll call you.'

'I will. I love you.' She quickly exclaimed.

'Love you too, mom.' He ended the call and Jo let her phone rest against her forehead. He had reacted the way she thought he would, but it could have been worse.

'Everything okay?' Jo quickly opened her eyes and looked up to see Lindsay standing in the doorway of their shared office.

'Yeah, I was just talking to Tyler.' She sighed. Lindsay chuckled.

'What did he do now?' Jo smiled and shook her head.

'Would you believe if I say he didn't do anything?' Lindsay laughed and raised her eyebrow.

'God, he's getting so big.'

'Yeah, I can relate to that.' Lindsay and Jo shared an understanding look. At that moment Jo's phone ringed. Her caller ID showed it was Sid.

'Hey Sid, what's up?' She said as she answered.

'Hey Jo. I found something on your victim, I think you should come check it out.'

'Sure, I'll be right down.'

/

5 minutes later Jo opened the door and entered the morgue. The strong smell of antiseptics hit her hard and she immediately felt her stomach cramp. She took a deep breath through her mouth and willed herself to push through it as she made her way over to Sid. As he was telling her all the aspects and details he found on the body, she felt her stomach clenching, and she was feeling light headed. Sid pointed at a small dot on the victim's arm and Jo leaned over to get a better look. She swayed a little as she straightened, and she felt Sid take her arm to steady her.

'Are you alright?' He asked worriedly. She quickly nodded.

'I'm fine.' She tried to reassure him, but Sid didn't buy it.

'Are you sure, you look quite pale.' Jo, sensing it was useless to put up an act, sighed in response and pinched the bridge of her nose. She didn't feel fine. Sid placed his hand on her shoulder and led her to a chair away from the examination table. He sat down in front of her and handed her a bottle of water.

'Although you know I would never pry into your personal business unasked, I've notice you're acting differently lately, and I was wondering if something was wrong.' Jo decided not to answer immediately, but was worried about who else might have noticed anything.

'Acted different how?' Her voice was quiet. She didn't want anybody to hear about the conversation they were about to have.

'It's nothing bad, or even very noticeable, but it's just, you haven't been acting like yourself lately. You look pale, tired, out of sorts. Just tell me it's nothing serious.' Jo shrugged.

'Depends on what you count as serious.' She murmured. Sid nodded.

You're pregnant.' Jo looked up, shocked that he knew. She shook her head questioningly.

'I suspected for a while.'

'How?'

'Little things, the way you turned green at crime scenes, you looking a little tired lately, the tension between you and Mac.' Jo looked down. So Sid had noticed that too.

'Does he know?' She just nodded and didn't have the guts to look up at him as she felt tears burning behind her eyes. Sid gently took her hand.

'Don't worry. It will all work out. She looked up at him and smiled sadly.

'Okay.' She nodded.

/

She felt tired but relieved the day was over as she walked into her apartment and kicked of her shoes. The fact that her feet were already hurting more than usual did not bide well for what was yet to come. As she hung up her jacket, the delicious smell of pasta Bolognese wafted through the air and Jo couldn't help but smile as she saw her daughter setting the table.

'Hey honey, what's all this?' Ellie looked up as she heard her mother.

'Hey mom. I just thought you'd be hungry, when you texted earlier saying you were headed home?'

'Yeah, and that's really sweet of you, but you didn't have to.' She saw Ellie smile while placing the bowl of pasta on the table.

'I wanted to. I also had to run a few errands after school and I walked past this store and I kinda picked something out for you.' Jo frowned.

'Kinda?'

'Well, it's not really for you, more for the baby, but he or she isn't here yet to open it, so...' Ellie reached behind her chair and pulled out a small gift bag and handed it to her mother. Jo sighed and smiled at the same time.

'You really didn't have to...'

'But I wanted to.' Ellie cut her off.

'I wanted this baby to get its first gift from its big sister.' Jo couldn't help but give her a tearful smile. Ellie sighed.

'Aren't you going to open it? Or would you rather stare at me the entire evening?' She smirked.

'Hold the sass, El. But, if I could I would do both.' Ellie smiled and rolled her eyes. Jo smiled as well and looked at the gift bag on her lap. She opened it and pushed away the paper wrapping. She pulled out the cutest unisex romper she had ever seen. It was a dark blue with a big silver star in the middle.

'Oh Ellie, it's adorable.' She looked up to see Ellie's face light up.

'You think so? I thought it would be really cute either way, because we don't know wether it's going to be a boy or a girl yet.'

'I think it's amazing Ellie, thank you.' Jo stood and pulled her daughter into a long hug and kissed her on her cheek before releasing her.

'I'm glad you like it, mom.'

'You have no idea what your support means to me, honey.'

'I'm just excited to get a little brother or sister, and I want to be involved in this and help you.'

'I'm glad you do honey. You and your brother.'

'Yeah, he called me. He was a little shocked, but he sounded happy though.'

'He called you?' Ellie nodded.

'That's okay though, right?'

'Of course, sweetheart, don't worry.' She smiled.

'Now let's eat, before this deliciousness gets cold.'


	5. Chapter 5

It was a few weeks after Jo had had her first ultrasound, and it was becoming more and more obvious that she was pregnant, although Jo did whatever she could to hide it. Luckily, now that she was in her second trimester her morning sickness had calmed down a lot, but now other issues had made themselves known. Like the each day more prominent, ever growing baby bump that started getting harder to hide. That morning, as she struggled to close the last pair of pants that still fit, well, used to still fit before, anyways, she decided it was time to tell the team about the pregnancy. And though she dreaded it horribly, she knew it was inevitable, and they would find out by themselves sooner or later. She wondered briefly if Lindsay did already have any suspicions. Her gaze lingered slowly at her growing midsection, her hands brushing over it softly. A smile tugged at her lips as she imagined feeling her baby move for the first time. Or holding her baby in her arms for the first time... She shook her head and cleared her thoughts. She didn't have the time to fantasize at the moment. She took a lose falling top and smoothed it out. It took away the attention from her abdomen, and if you didn't know there was a bump, you couldn't see it.

/

Jo took a deep breath and hit the send button. She had send a group text to the members of the team, asking them to meet her in her office because she had something to share with them. All members, except Mac. She hadn't found the need to, as he didn't want to be involved. She wasn't going to tell them Mac was the father either. In fact, she had no idea what to tell them in case they asked her about the father. She took a deep, shaky breath and smiled as Lindsay walked into their shared office, quickly followed by the others. Sid and Sheldon were last as they had to come from the morgue. As they were all assembled, Danny spoke up first.

'So Jo, we're all here, what did you want to talk about?' Jo smiled, shaking her head slightly.

'I didn't really need to talk about anything. I just wanted to tell you that I am pregnant.' She held her breath as she watched for their reactions. Lindsay was the first to recover from the initial shock and walked over to Jo pulling her into a hug.

'Jo, that's amazing, congratulations!' She exclaimed happily. After she and Danny had their second child a year before, she couldn't help but imagine their children becoming good friends. As she let go of Jo, the others started congratulating her, and Jo felt the tension in her shoulders slowly slip away. At least they weren't judging her in her face. At that moment, Mac and Christine entered the lab, coming back from their lunch. Mac frowned as he noticed the commotion, and walked over to the office, followed by Christine.

'Hey, what's going on here?' He asked the group.

'Jo is having a baby!' Adam told him, smiling. Mac tried to put a smile on his face, but couldn't get himself to congratulate Jo. Christine, however, wrapped her arms around Jo, congratulating her happily. Jo tried not to stiffen in her arms. As Christine let her go, Mac walked over to Jo, congratulating her by patting her shoulder, before leading Christine back to his office. Lindsay and Danny shared a knowing look. They had been here long enough to know what was going on. Jo smiled at the people in her office. Her friends. Who she knew she could depend on should it be necessary.

'Thank you for all your supporting words. I really appreciate it. I do however think it's time to go back to work.' Danny shook his head.

'Unbelievable.' He mumbled, earning a smack on his arm from Lindsay.

'Well, if you're so eager to get back to work, mind joining me interviewing the suspect?' Don asked her.

'No, not at all.'

/

The suspect was already agitated as Don and Jo entered the room. Jo decided to play into this, seeing if it would evolve a reaction.

'I've been here for over an hour.' The man growled.

'I'm sorry Mr Whittaker, but you are not the only person we have to talk to.' Jo answered, an icy smile on her lips. Don took a seat in front of the man, while Jo stayed standing next to him. She wanted to make sure she was the taller one. After Don had asked the routine questions, she decided to play on the suspect's emotions.

'Did you have a relationship with the victim or was it just plain sex?' The suspect stares at her, looking both angry and confused.

'What?'

'You see, here's what I'm thinking. You were in love with her, but she didn't feel quite the same, did she?' The man balled his fists and looked at her angrily.

'You have no idea what you're talking about.' Now Jo was done playing nice. Her voice raised, she leaned over the table and glared at him.

'You were in love with her, or so you claimed, stalking and following her everywhere. When she told you to leave her alone, you snapped.' She took one of the pictures taken at the crimescene and showed it to the suspect.

'So you grabbed her and squeezed her throat shut. Did she beg you to let her go? Or did you cover her mouth as not to hear her pleads?' Jo frowned, trying to get a reaction from him.

'That's kinda sad, don't you think.' Whatever reaction Jo had expected, this wasn't it. Before either she or Don could react, the man had jumped up and shoved Jo against the wall. Before he could do anything else, Don had pulled him away from Jo and out of the room. Jo herself was shaking, cursing herself for being so irresponsible. Suddenly she became aware of the cramping feeling in her lower abdomen, and her hand curled protectively around the small bump. Making her way back to the chair, she sat down. The cramping began to grow worse and she felt a few drops of blood. Panic settled as she realized her stomach took most of the blow as that was where the suspect had placed his hand when he had pushed her.

Don walked back into the room to check on Jo after he had handed the suspect to a pair of uniformed officers. She was seated on a chair, and he noticed how her hand was curled around her belly. Her face looked pale and scared.

'Jo, are you alright?' She looked up at him, tears glistering in her eyes. When she spoke, her voice was hoarse and just above a whisper.

'I think I'm bleeding.'

* * *

 _Hey guys, I'm sorry it's such a short update, but I've been pretty busy lately so I'm glad I could update at least something. I promise to continue as soon as possible! As always, reviews are appreciated :)_


	6. Chapter 6

Hey guys,

I know it has been quite a while since I updated this fic, but I still get reviews, so I am so grateful for all of you! I really hope you all still follow and enjoy this story.

I will try and update more frequently, but I can't make any promises.

Please enjoy the new chapter!

Jo sighed and closed her eyes, leaning back into the pillow behind her head. She almost felt guilty, but she was relieved her kids had gone home for the night. They had come to the hospital as soon as they heard what happened, and though it had been great to see them, she was tired and was glad she could stop pretending she was not. Her hands found the small bump of her stomach, and she rubbed her thumbs over it slowly, a relieved smile on her face. It had been a close call, but thanks to Don getting her to the hospital as soon as he did, her baby and she were alright. Don had practically scooped her up and carried her to one of the patrol cars, using the sirens when he rushed her to the emergency room. He had stayed with her until her children had come. He had quietly left then, promising he would come by soon to see if she was alright. She had also talked to Lindsay on the phone, who asked if she and the rest of the team could come over, but Jo had told her she preferred if they didn't. She expected them to be here tomorrow though. Hopefully she didn't have to stay for much longer than that. A sharp knock on the door startled her from her thoughts, and she turned her head to see who was still visiting her. In the doorway of her hospital room was standing Mac, carrying a small bouquet of flowers. Jo immediately pulled her hands away from her stomach and straightened up as best as she could, not feeling it was necessary to greet Mac as politely as she normally would. They weren't at work now. Mac was the one to break the short awkward silence.

'Can I come in?' Jo stared at him for a moment, but then nodded. If he took the trouble of coming to see her, she would take the trouble of listening to what he had to say. She was also relieved that he appeared to be alone, no sign of Christine.

'I brought you flowers.' Mac said, holding them a little closer to her. Jo nodded.

'They are lovely, thank you.' She said with a small smile. Mac indicated to a vase standing on a side table in her room.

'Shall I put them in water?'

'Sure, go ahead.' It took him a moment to put the flowers in the vase. They were gardenias. She liked them. After he finished, he walked towards the chair standing next to her bed, but waited for her nod of approval before he sat down in it. He took a deep breath.

'I heard what happened. Are you alright?' Jo nodded.

'We're fine.' She said. Mac grimaced and then sighed, his face falling, and for the first time ever, Jo thought he looked truly miserable. He quickly schooled his features and looked back up at her.

'I am glad about that, Jo, I truly am. And I apologize about the way I behaved today.' Jo couldn't help but raise her eyebrow, and Mac didn't fail to notice.

'And for the past few weeks.' He added. Jo nodded. She was happy he apologized, but it did nothing to change their situation.

'I still don't understand why, Mac. Why you acted so angrily towards me. I never asked you for anything.'

'I know Jo, that's why I'm apologizing. I do need you to know I was honest, although in quite a terrible way.' She smirked and rolled her eyes inwardly. Understatement of the year.

'I love Christine.' Jo nodded, although her heart ached. She had known that. She knew that! But it still hurt the part of her that had hoped that maybe, somewhere, he loved her more. He didn't.

'But I can maybe, help you out, and be a father for the child, if you want me too? You know, learning it to ride a bike, things like that.' He smiled. That goofy, personal smile she loved so much. She smiled too, but didn't say anything.

'And I will pay child support, of course. And maybe we can make some arrangement, in which I can take care of the child too, if that's what you want.' Jo sighed.

'Mac, you are the father of this child, and I would love for this child to grow up with a loving father. And I won't take your chance to be a father from you Mac, but you have got to give me some time.'

'I understand.' Mac nodded. She sighed relieved.

'We still have quite some time to go before the baby is here.' Jo frowned and sighed.

'What about Christine? Is she going to be okay with a baby running around the house that isn't hers?' Something in her was hurt by the fact Christine would be her baby's stepmother, although she had no doubt Christine would be a good one. Maybe her hurt was also part jealousy.

'She wasn't happy. I only told her this afternoon. She didn't know the child was mine when we saw you earlier. But she is okay with it. At least she says so.' Jo nodded and turned to look away from Mac.

'Is it okay if we talk about this later? You don't have to be involved in me or the pregnancy, just, be a good father when the time comes, okay?'

'I will.' Mac said, still looking at her. He looked like he wanted to say more, but Jo quickly cut him off. She wasn't in the mood to talk.

'I'm really tired Mac, it's been a long day.'

'I understand. Can I get you anything?' Jo shook her head.

'My kids brought over everything I need here, plus I don't think they'll keep me here very long. I'm probably not at work for the rest of the week though, maybe even longer.'

'I'll make sure that's being handled. Can I come over another time later this week?' His eyes looked hopeful.

'I'll let you know. I have a lot of checkups still, and I really need to rest…'

'Checkups? As in ultrasounds?'

'Yeah, probably.' Jo said, sounding mildly confused.

'Can I be there? At least for one of them, I'd love to see…'

'I'd rather you weren't, I'm sorry.' Jo said. The disappointment on Mac's face hurt even her.

'It's just, it's a little too soon Mac.' Mac nodded understandingly.

'You're right, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to pry.'

'I know.' Jo said.

'I have an older ultrasound, it's a short video. I could send it to you, if you'd like.' Mac's face lit up.

'I would love that.' He said.

'But I'll let you rest. I'm glad we could talk, and I hope you feel better soon.'

'Me too. Thank you Mac. And goodnight.' This time, there was a genuine smile on her face.

'Goodnight Jo.' He said, before walking out of her room.

/

Jo had been released from the hospital a few days ago, and was lying in her bed, reading a book. She had been right. The doctor had released her from the hospital after only two days, but had put her on bedrest for the rest of the week, with another week of taking it easy ('So no work, detective Danville, I mean it.') following it. And she was trying to. But she was also bored, and the conversation she had had with Mac kept playing through her mind. She knew she would have to call him one day, but she didn't feel like it. She was still hurt, and if she admitted it, heartbroken. The only conversation she had had with him was when she had sent him the video of her twelve week appointment, and he had responded to her, saying it was one of the most beautiful things he had ever seen. It had made her smile when she read it.

'Mom?' Jo looked up to her daughter standing at the foot of her bed, carrying a tray with two steaming teacups and a plate with Jo's favorite chocolate cookies.

'Ellie, oh honey that's wonderful, thank you.' Ellie smiled and placed the tray at the end of the bed, carefully sitting down on the other side, next to her mother.

'You're welcome, thought you might want to talk some, before you really bore yourself to death.' She joked. Jo laughed.

'Not a bad idea at all, El. How was school?'

'It was good, I had an A for biology.' Although she tried not to gloom, Ellie beamed with pride. And of course, so did Jo.

'Good job baby girl, I'm so proud of you.' Ellie shrugged and smiled, grabbing a cookie from the plate and handing her mother another one.

'How has your day been, momma?' Jo rolled her eyes.

'It's been a wonderful day for Mr. Darcy to be an asshole to Ms. Bennett, but in my world, nothing much has happened.'

'Bedrest is nothing for you, I can imagine.' Ellie laughed.

'I'm glad you're taking it easy though. You scared us.' Ellie said, her voice sounding soft and insecure. Jo slowly stroked her daughter's cheek.

'I know honey, and I'm sorry. But I'm alright, okay? We're both fine.' She tried to reassure her daughter. Ellie smiled and reached out to softly rub her mother's growing belly.

'I know. How has the little one's day been?' Jo laughed at her daughter's enthusiasm.

'Quite good, I think. Quite active, I might add.' Jo grinned. Ellie looked at her with confusion for a moment, but then her eyes widened with realization.

'You could feel the baby move?' She exclaimed.

'Yes, I'm pretty sure I did.' Jo smiled and placed her hand on her belly lovingly. Ellie placed her hand over her mother's.

'What does it feel like? I read that it feels like a butterfly's wings or something.' Jo thought about it for a minute.

'You could say something like that. It feels like a fluttering, or like a little fish swimming around in your belly.' She laughed at the slightly uncomfortable face her daughter made.

'Not in a creepy way, I promise. It feels truly wonderful. In a little while you might be able to feel the baby kick. Now that might feel creepy.' She added laughingly. Ellie smiled and cuddled closer to her mother.

'I can't wait.'


	7. Chapter 7

Hey!

First of all, thank you for all your comments and patience. I know it's been very long and I'm really sorry! But I'm finished with my exams now so I will try to upload more often! Please enjoy this chapter :)

/

Jo leaned back into the seat as the doctor applied the cold gel to her stomach. She was now eighteen weeks pregnant and at the doctor's office for a regular check-up. She had had an extra check-up two weeks ago to make sure what happened had no further consequences, and although everything looked good, her doctor had asked Jo to come back in today and in two weeks again to monitor everything closely. As the doctor was preparing the ultrasound machine, Jo closed her eyes briefly. She hadn't mind at all to come back in more often. The event had scared her more than she wanted to admit, and when Chief Sinclair had suggested she'd stay mostly at the lab for the remaining of her pregnancy, she had gladly accepted. It had surprised the rest of the team, but she did not want to take any risks regarding her baby. She opened her eyes just as her doctor moved over to her belly.

'Maybe today we'll be able to see what gender your baby is, that is if you want to know. '

'I do, actually.' Jo smiled excitedly.

'Plus, I don't think my daughter would ever forgive me if she's going to have to wait until the baby's born.' she laughed. The doctor laughed too and slowly moved over Jo's belly until she found the baby. After a bit of prodding, the doctor turned to face Jo.

'Everything looks good.' she said with a reassuring smile. Jo released a breath she didn't know she was holding. With her age, and especially after what had happened last month, she was always worried something was wrong.

'The heartbeat sounds very strong, the baby seems to be growing perfectly according to schedule, and it seems your baby did not suffer any negative consequences from your incident four weeks ago.' the doctor continued. Jo sighed a small sigh of relief.

'I'm very glad.' she said.

'Now, for your baby's sex, are you sure you want to know?' Jo nodded.

'Definitely.'

'Okay, well, it looks like you're having a baby girl.' Jo's doctor said smiling. Jo smiled. A little girl. Ellie was going to be ecstatic. And she herself was too. Even though she already had an incredible daughter, she had never been pregnant with a baby girl. She couldn't help but wonder how different this pregnancy would be from when she was pregnant with Tyler. Things that did not have to do with her being twenty years older, of course. But besides the morning sickness, which she had barely had the last time, she couldn't really think of something.

The doctor handed her a piece of paper to wipe of her stomach and told Jo to call her if she had any questions whatsoever. Jo nodded and shook her doctor's hand after wiping off the excess gel.

/

Jo was on her way home after her appointment. She had decided not to go back to work as it was already almost five and the team wasn't working on any case at the moment. She was looking forward to spending some time alone. Ellie was at a birthday sleepover party, which was also why she hadn't come with Jo to the appointment. Ellie herself had been a little disappointed, but Jo had managed to convince her to go to the party and have a good time. Ellie had only given in after Jo had promised to give her a full update after she'd come back, ultrasound pictures and all. Plus, this gave Jo the opportunity to tell both her kids they were having a little sister at the same time, as Tyler was joining the girls for dinner tomorrow night.

Jo decided to stop by a little bakery to buy two cupcakes for tomorrow night, asking the baker to stuff them with a pink filling. She found it a little cliché herself, but she knew her kids, especially Ellie, would find it adorable. And, as she had been picturing how her new baby girl would look like all the way from her doctor's office to the bakery, she was in a little adorable-mood herself.

Upon returning home, Jo placed the cupcakes in the refrigerator and ordered herself some Chinese food. Waiting for it to arrive, she quickly changed into a pair of yoga pants and a loose sweater and curled up in the corner of her couch. Resting one hand loosely over her stomach, she started daydreaming about what her daughter would look like again. She probably wouldn't look much like her brother, for Tyler was the spitting image of his father, and obviously also not much like her older sister. Maybe she'd look like Mac, Jo wondered. His dark hair with his blue eyes, his wit, his strength, his big heart under that tough guy exterior. That would make a pretty good cocktail. Jo had decided to tell him he was having a daughter tomorrow morning. She could already see him with a daughter. His little princess. She'd have him wrapped around her little finger within no time. Jo smiled at the thought. She briefly wondered if she should call him now but decided against it. Christine would probably be there if she called now. She would tell him tomorrow in his office. Where she could actually see his face. And where Christine wouldn't be.

The doorbell took her out of her musings and she quickly got up to retrieve her food. While setting it out on the table, her phone rang. She briefly wondered if it was Mac. But it couldn't be, he didn't even know she'd had an appointment today. She just hoped it wasn't a case. But when she looked at her phone her caller ID showed it was her mother. Jo smiled. Her mother was one of the few people she wanted to talk to right now. Her mother knew the whole story. She had asked about the father when Jo had told her about the pregnancy, and Jo had never been able to lie to her mother. Her mother had been surprisingly okay with the whole situation and had actually been a great support for Jo over the past few months.

'Hey momma.' Jo said as she answered the call.

'Hello Josie.' her mother replied.

'How'd the appointment today go? Is the baby doing okay?' Jo smiled at her mother's southern drawl, making her feel homey almost immediately.

'The baby's doing great momma. The doctor said everything is going as it is supposed to be going.' she said. Jo could hear the relief in her mother's voice as she answered.

'I'm really happy about that honey.' Jo knew her mother was worried to. It had taken Jo a lot of negotiating to make sure her mother didn't fly over to New York when Jo was in the hospital.

'Did the doctor say anything else?' she heard her mother ask. Jo smiled. Her mother was not exactly the most subtle person on the planet when she was excited about something.

'Yes momma, she did.' Jo took a breath and felt the corners of her mouth turning upwards into a big grin as she continued.

'I'm having a girl.' Her grin grew even wider as she realized this was the first time she'd spoken the words out loud. Her mother's reaction did not disappoint.

'Oh Josie, that's wonderful! Ellie is going to be so excited!'

'Yes, she probably is. I'm going to tell her and Tyler tomorrow at dinner.'

'That's great honey, it really is. I'll knit that little girl a little pink hat so she doesn't get cold.' Jo laughed out loud. Her mother had knitted Tyler loads of stuff too when he was a baby, but it had never been used much.

'You don't have to do that mom. Besides, what if she doesn't like pink?'

'Well then I'll make a little hat in every color I can find, so she can decide for herself.' Jo smiled.

She and her mother stayed on the phone a little longer chatting about all sorts of things, while Jo ate her dinner. She took a long shower after they hung up and decided to go to bed early. She wanted to meet Mac first thing in the morning. They had been on better terms lately, but him being with Christine made things complicated. She knew it was unfair because they were together, but the thought that Christine might help raise her child was still difficult for her. She just wasn't sure how to tell Mac that.

/

Jo knocked on the door to Mac's office before entering. Although things were getting better between them, the days she would have barged in without announcement were long gone. Mac looked up at her as she sat down opposite him.

'Everything alright, Jo?' he asked when she didn't say anything.

'Yes, sorry, I'm fine.' She handed him an envelope with the ultrasound picture inside.

'I thought you'd maybe like to have this.' He opened it and a small smile spread over his features.

'Thanks Jo. When did you have your last ultrasound?'

'Yesterday.' she answered.

'Everything is looking good.' she said before he could ask. He nodded and looked back at the picture.

'Your eighteen weeks now, right?' Jo nodded. Mac had been very on track so far.

'I read in this book that the doctor is usually able to tell the sex of the baby around this time. I don't know if you want to know, but I was just wondering.' Jo almost frowned. Mac was reading a book about prenatal development? Or about pregnancy in general? Both confused her greatly, but she decided to let it slide.

'That's actually why I'm here. Do you want to know?' she asked. He just nodded in response, his face expectant.

'It's a girl, Mac.' A full blown smile now spread across his face and he leaned back in his chair.

'That's really great.' he said. Jo smiled and nodded.

'It is.' A silence Jo felt was awkward followed as Mac looked back at the picture with that ridiculous grin on his face.

'Is it okay if I tell Christine?' Jo was a little taken aback by his question. Of course he wanted to tell Christine. She just didn't want him to tell her. She didn't even want him to want to tell her. But she still nodded anyway.

'Sure, but could you keep it from the others for a while? I haven't told my kids yet.' Mac nodded.

'Of course, I will. No problem.' Jo smiled and got up.

'I guess I should go back to work.'

'Okay.' Jo turned and walked towards the door.

'Are you sure things are okay between us?' Mac asked, causing her to stop dead in her tracks. She turned back around so she could face him.

'Six months ago you would have made some sort of comment about me reading a book for expecting parents, but now, not a word. Are we okay?' Jo sighed. It sounded tired.

'I don't know that yet Mac. But I know we will be. We have to be for the sake of this child.' Mac nodded and smiled softly.

'Just don't try to force it, please? I'm going to need a little time and space.'

'I'm sorry Jo. I promise I'll respect your boundaries. But promise me you don't completely shut me out.'

'You've apologized enough by now Mac. I'll promise I'll keep you as updated about the baby as I can.' She smirked before turning around.

'And promise me that book you're reading isn't 'What to expect when you're expecting'. That is so terribly cliché.' She could hear Mac chuckle as she left his office.

/

'Mom, we finished dinner. Can we now please have dessert? I want to know!' Ellie practically begged. Her patience had worn thin over dinner because Jo refused to just tell her kids the gender of the baby.

'Fine.' she laughed. 'There are two cupcakes in the fridge. Take one and give the other to your brother.' Ellie had found the cupcakes quickly and handed Tyler one before sitting down.

'Mom, you didn't get some baker to fill this with either pink or blue for us to find out the sex of our new sibling by taking a bite from a cupcake, did you?' Tyler asked, shaking his head while laughing.

'What? I know you think it's very mushy, but I'm pregnant and therefor feeling very mushy lately. Plus I think your sister likes the idea.' Ellie nodded.

'I think it's very cute.' she said.

'Thank you honey. Okay, take a bite on three.' Jo counted down, and not long after the first bite Ellie screamed with excitement.

'A girl? Is it really a girl?' Ellie's eyes were sparkling. But before she could do anything, Tyler had gotten up and wrapped his mother in a hug. Jo quickly felt another pair of arms around her, meaning her daughter had joined them.

'Is she okay mom?' Tyler asked. Jo nodded in their embrace before releasing them a little.

'The doctor said she's doing great. Everything is going as it should.' Tyler and Ellie both smiled.

'Good.' Tyler said.

'And you're sure it's a girl?' Ellie asked. Jo laughed.

'Well, nothing's a hundred percent, but it looks that way, yes.' Ellie's grin spread even wider.

'You're gonna be outnumbered brother!' She said, pointing at Tyler. He sighed dramatically in response.

'How will I ever survive?'

/

Thank you for reading, I hope you liked it! Please let me know what you think!


End file.
